Abstract
Península Valdes, Argentina, is a nursing ground for a population of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis). In the last two decades this area has been subjected to an increase in population, tourism and industrial growth. This has raised the concern for exposure to chemical contaminants such as metals. In this study we measured nonessential metals (Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Be, Co, Cd, Cr, Hg, Li, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, U and Ti), essential metals (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo and Zn) and an essential element (Se) in skin biopsies from female southern right whales (n=10). This is the first report on tissue concentrations of metals in adult southern right whales. Overall, tissue values were on the low end of the spectrum and similar to the values reported in studies of mysticetes from other regions. Measured values do not reflect substantial amounts of accumulation and thus serve as a baseline.
Highlights
The waters around Península Valdes (PV), Argentina, are a nursing ground for a population of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) [1,2]
Biopsies were collected from ten adult female southern right whales in San José Gulf, Península Valdés, Argentina (42o30'; S, 64o 00'; W; Figure 1), during the months of September and October of 2011
When calculating the mean of each element, values that were reported as non-detectable were replaced by 1⁄2 the limit of detection value for that given element
Summary
The waters around Península Valdes (PV), Argentina, are a nursing ground for a population of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) [1,2]. In the last two decades, and following the trends of other coastal areas of the world, this area has been subjected to an increase in population, tourism and industrial growth. This scenario raises the concern for an increase of contaminants related to these activities and their potential effects on wildlife. Metals are of particular interest because they are elements and, cannot be degraded They can persist in the environment and be incorporated into organisms, through dermal absorption, inhalation or ingestion, where they accumulate until excreted [3,4]. Animal and tissue culture studies suggest that metals could be a health concern to cetaceans
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